Patient Stories

My journey started in 2007 at my very first appointment at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children with Dr. Peter Gabos. I was thirteen years old and was told I had scoliosis. I could not even say that word out loud; it just felt weird. But, looking back, I had no…...

Courtney Rone has a scar. From the middle of her shoulder blades straight down to her lower back is a faint white line and daily reminder of what she’s overcome to keep doing what she loves. At the age of 12, Courtney was diagnosed with scoliosis. “When I first learned…...

Courtney Burns has always excelled academically. To say she is intelligent would be an understatement, but even she wasn’t able to know that scoliosis would change her life forever. After meeting Dr. Samdani, Courtney decided right then she wanted to be a doctor. Today, Courtney’s past the point of being…...

Curvilinea I was ten years old when I received my brace.  I wore it for twenty hours a day with the amount of time gradually decreasing until—two years, two months, and two days later—I no longer was required to wear it.  My time in my brace was incredibly difficult; I…...

Surgery Can Change Your Life When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with scoliosis which led to an orthopedic appointment at A.I DuPont Hospital. My scoliosis meant I had to wear a brace. I wore the brace at night, and sometimes when I came home from school. Not…...

  Since I was a little girl in elementary school, I always had a hump on my back and pain like one couldn’t even imagine. At the time, being an ice skater and a softball player, I had really no patience for any kind of pain. As the years progressed…...

One of the most common questions spinal fusion patients are asked is how their surgery has changed or affected their lives. In 2007, Amanda had her scoliosis corrective surgery at the age of thirteen. Amanda’s spinal fusion left her with two twenty inch rods and eighteen screws in her back.…...

Hi. My name is Ali, and I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was thirteen. My scoliosis was detected during a routine check at school, and my mother quickly made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor who I would spend a lot of time with over the next four years.…...